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ggnitei tates getut- @ffice FRANKLIN A. WELLS, OF BRATTLEBORO, VERMONT, ASSIGNOR TO JACOB ESTEY AND COMPANY, SAME PLACE.

'Letters Patent No. 76,013, dated llfarch 2.4, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN REED-ORGANS.

' llO ALL PERSONS-TO WHOM THESE P RESENTS MAY COME;

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN A. WELLS, of Brattleboro, of the county of Windham, and State of Vermont, have made a new and useful invention having reference to Rced-Organs or other musical instruments of like character; and do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following specification, and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which- I Figure 1 denotes a top view,

Figi-H02 a front elevation, and

Figure 3 a transverse section ofa reed-organ swell with my invention applied to it.

The purpose of my invention is to enable a performer or person to readily move and adjust the knee-bearer of the swell to a convenient position for being worked 'byhis or her knee, while -he or she may be playing the reed-instrument. My invention also insures the maintenance of the bearer in such position, while it may be desirable to there preserve it.

In the drawings, A denotes a part of the frame ofa reed organ, a being the board or base, on which the system of reeds is arranged. B is the reed-case or carrier, and'C the swell or swell-board, which is hinged or applied to such reed-carrier in the ordinary manner. A spring` D,` beariiig on a-stud`v b, extending from one end of the swell, serves to force the swell downward orto close it.. Another stud, c, is extended from the swell, in manner as shown in the drawings, and over and upon au arm, d; projected from a rocker-shaft, e. A crank,f, ext-end? ing down from one endof the rocker-shaft, is connectedwith a horizontal lever, E, by a connection-rod, g. The rod should be so applied :to the crank and lever as to enable the latter, while being moved aside, to movepthe crank in a manner to cause the shaftto turn, and, by means of its arm and the stud c, e'cct the elevation ofthe swell. The lever. .E extends underneath the board a, the fulcrnm i of the lever being at or near its rear end, and projected from the board'. l

The knee-bearer F is not in one piece with the lever, but is piece separate therefrom, and is arranged against one side of the lever, and turns vertically on ascrew, k, which 'goes through the bearer, and is screwed into the lever. The rear end of the bearer is rounded or'formed as shown in iig. 3, and it has a friction-brake or spring, l, hearing against it, such spring being fastened to the lever E; This spring or brake serves to hold the knee-bcarer in any position to which it may be moved vertically. The s'eparatevhearer, applied to the lever in manner substantially as described, een be easilyadjusted to a convenient height for the knecrof the player of the instrument or reed-organ to bear aga-inst it, in'order to enable the knee to aetuate'the lever E, for the purpose of opening the swell. The spring, by its pressure and friction on the rear or curved end of the bearer, is caused to perform the function of retaining the bearerat such height.

The adjustable knee-bearer, combined with the lever, enables such lever to be'operated as well by a child as by an adult, or-to be brought readily into the most convenient position to be worked by any performer while playing the instrument.

What I claim as my invention is as follows: v The combination and arrangement of the frictionspringr orbrake, with the adjustable'knee-piece and lever E of the mechanism for effecting the elevation of the swell.

FRANKLIN A. WELLS.` Witnesses:-

A. OATII'AM, J. S. Hmetxs. 

